A doozy of a day downtown: Chamber president says Corn Roast, bike race will benefit Loveland businesses

By Craig Young Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
06/11/2013 07:53:33 PM MDT

Mindy McCloughan, president and CEO of the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, talks Tuesday, June 11, to downtown businesspeople during a meeting about the Corn Roast Festival and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge bicycle race, both of which will occur downtown Aug. 24.
(
Jenny Sparks
)

LOVELAND -- Two major events will take over downtown Loveland on Aug. 24, and business owners could see that as problematic or profitable.

Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Mindy McCloughan met Tuesday with downtown businesspeople to allay concerns and stress the benefits of having the Old-Fashioned Corn Roast and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge race downtown.

"I know there's a lot of anxiety because of the unknowns," she said during an informational session with about 20 people in the Rialto Theater Center. "I will tell you the economic impact on this community for the Corn Roast and the Pro Cycling Challenge will be phenomenal.

"Our goal is to drive traffic to your front door. What we want is to stimulate the economy," McCloughan said.

In recent years, the Corn Roast, a quintessentially Loveland event, has taken place at Fairgrounds Park southwest of downtown.

Visitors, Media Exposure

But when Northern Colorado landed a stage of the Pro Challenge, the city and chamber decided to bring the Corn Roast back downtown to capitalize on the tens of thousands of visitors who are expected to watch the race.

The Aug. 24 stage will start at The Ranch in northeast Loveland, head to Windsor, then wheel through downtown Loveland on its way to Estes Park and a finish in Old Town Fort Collins.

Organizers have been told to expect 30,000 spectators along the downtown Loveland stretch, which will include a sprint line near Fifth Street and Lincoln Avenue.

The professional bike race draws international media attention and out-of-state fans, McCloughan said.

"What that means is that we're going to be able to showcase what downtown has, all the hidden jewels, because you're going to go global," she said.

The Corn Roast, Friday Aug. 24 and Saturday Aug. 25, will take over Fourth Street, from Railroad Avenue east to Washington Avenue.

Fourth Street will be blocked from about noon Friday through 8 or 10 p.m. Saturday, she said, with large banners over the street calling attention to the beer gardens, two entertainment stages, children's area, vendors and other attractions.

Lincoln and Cleveland avenues themselves will be blocked for only about half an hour Saturday as the racers come through around 11:50 a.m., she said.

Working Out Details

The business owners in attendance asked about parking and street closures but seemed to be positive about the possibilities of having the events at their front doors.

McCloughan said organizers haven't worked out all the details yet, but they plan to have extra bicycle parking downtown and outlying automobile parking areas with frequent shuttles downtown.

"Trust me, we will have every little parking area scoured," she said.

Jenna Gronberg, manager of the Pourhouse Bar and Grill, 124 E. Fourth St., said it would help downtown restaurants if the shuttle buses could continue to run late in the evening.

"We will make sure of that," McCloughan responded.

She encouraged businesses to set up sidewalk sales to lure people inside their stores.

Boomer Coates, chef at Mo' Betta Gumbo, 141 E. Fourth St., asked if he could sell food out his side door, and McCloughan said that would be perfectly legal.

After the meeting, Gronberg said she's not worried about the inconvenience of the events. "I think it will be good," she said, adding that the snow sculpture event that blocked off Fourth Street for one night in February brought business to her restaurant.

"It was great to have so many people downtown," she said.

McCloughan said she plans to have more meetings as the details are nailed down, and she's gathering contact information from as many downtown businesspeople as possible "so I can reach out to you at the drop of a hat."